#natsume sakasaki analysis

[sucantslay]

Natsume Sakasaki -Analysis

(from Reminiscences Selection ELEMENT)

and more?

DISCLAIMER + WARNING!!!

I said it before, but I'll have to say it again that this is my PERSONAL ANALYSIS. If anything feels out of place, pls, feel free to have your own thoughts on this. ( Maybe your p.o.v is different from mine )

My English is bad...sorry, but I'll continue to improve it!

I'm not good with analysis so if anything makes you confused, pls do ask. I would love to help you with any problem(that I'm capable of)

Ok~ Let's go!

For those who think the war didn't affect on Natsume much since he looked un-scratch. Then, the answer is a no and yes.

I'm not going to talk about it like, fine by physic and hurt by mental because ( except Eichi ) none character at the end of the war got any physical problem on them. Mostly came from mental then it affects their physical state like Rei or Shu.

Kanata? No, he just lost his beliefs and changed for the better good ( Chiaki saved him in time )

Rei? Got sent away and later on turned into a daunting old man. In his case, he had a bad relationship with Ritsu and his mental problem affected on him made him act and do things like a granny.

Shu, got defeated and had a mental problem after that ( He's getting better later on )

Wataru is...kinda ok actually. Since he was able to figure out Eichi's plan so it didn't do much on him.

Natsume was being protected by the 2yr members of 5 Eccentic so of course, no damage was taken either.

But the thing is, Natsume wasn't able to join the real fight, most of the time, he had to stay back and watch as all his Nii-san fell apart. One by one.

Like, when all your friends got hurt but you can't do anything but stand aside and witness their fall down.

That is why he was so angry. He feels left out.

And he blames it on himself, that he's not as good as them, and that's why he never got a chance to stand up and fight with them.

Now, let's go back in time *click click the turnback button*

He does look a bit uncomfortable when he meets Tsumugi, but most of that is after he knows that Tsumugi knew he's past.

It's like: "Oh...no no, I hate that time and I hate you for being the witness of that old me. Too bad I can't make that memory disappear out of your head so I'm just kinda uncomfortable with you for remembering that stuff."

He starts to get a little un-friendly but then later on, it gets worse, when he learns that Tsumugi is a member of Fine and watches Eichi as his friend.

He goes soft when being with the 5 Eccentric for sure.

But it is still nothing compared to the mad and hatter-like after the war ended. When he ignores Tsumugi and anyone he doesn't care or give a sh^t about. ( He does care about Tsumugi. Sometimes he just acts a little unsettled with anyone he doesn't care/know about. It's not a completely don't care but...ya know what I mean )

( From Chapter 3/ In the rose garden )

So, what made him become like this? It was the war.

It is a yes when it comes to the war's effect on him. It's not as heavy as Shu or Rei or a total change in look and understanding like Kanata but it did have some effect on him.

Hence, it doesn't mean that he's fine. He's better than most but not fine.

How you do think that THAT big of an event can't be able to do something to him. It does!

And to whoever writes his character, I wish your pillow cold on both sides! Because he is such an interesting character to look into.

It's worth pointing out that the feeling of Natsume being an outsider isn't just an experience for him but also for the reader, the viewer who watches the anime and Element 3D version.

Consider the fact that in each episode, an Eccentric was being defeated or was mentioned about their fall.

There was nothing about Natsume but locking himself in a room and keep on writing the script for a happy ending that he was yearning for.

( this is a part of the Black Bird story/ the moment when the script got burned )

Kanata was defeated, then came Shu.

At the time Natsume was writing the script, it was already the end of it all. The situation can no longer be saved.

The Eccentric Party Night? It was all Natsume's dream.

The time when he gets to be with all his beloved Nii-san is in Episode 2. Then later on in Episode 5 when the last Eccentric are being executed.

It was the beginning and the end.

And I don't think if Natsume's plan got accepted by Wataru mean they'll win either. Yes, it is bad for the school as Wataru and Eichi mentioned in Episode 6, but I'm scared for the others who have already been defeated, can they able to gather strength after all the brutal executes their been through.

Simultaneously, the students still hate them. Their anti-fan exists.

They'll have to survive another war even if Eichi's already been taken down.

So in conclusion, if we put the Eccentric Party Night scene out of the picture, then Natsume does seem to be left out.

That why he was so mad, that why he wanted revenge. Even if none of his Nii-san want to, he wants it. Not just for them but also for himself.

He wants a chance to stand up with his own two feet, defeat the bad guy, and show all his beloved brothers that he has finally grown up.

Last but not least! He feels betrayed when Wataru joins Fine. But I think he did understand Wataru's decision. That why he still call Wataru his Nii-san, that why he just a little crappy but not a totally hated form of treatment for Wataru.

You can say he has a soft spot for Wataru, but he didn't beg nor have any rejection over it, he just went: "Why did my beloved Nii-san have to stay in the same unit as that demon...now it is even harder to take him down...what a headache."

He knows Wataru well, and lets Wataru do as he likes. And I think that was a very grown-up of him. After all that begging for the plan to be accepted by Wataru. After all that panic and suffering for his older senior to win it even if there was already no redo.

The Natsume now is calmer than before. Of course, he still has a lot to learn and more room for development, but yes, he may have some improve.

That all~ That alL~ ThaNk yOU for REAding~ XoxO!

Also made one for Tsumugi in the past if you want to read another analysis: https://www.tumblr.com/sucantslay/745663127662837760/aoba-tsumugi-analysis-from-the-animation

[yotsubaclover]

on natsumugi, girls’ literature, and love

“Love is the key to life’s secrets. Love exists first, then there is life. If one takes away love, what is the meaning of life?” Kitamura Tokoku, “Disillusioned poets and women” (1892)

In the process of writing a paper arguing the validity of Enstars as yuri, I got to read a lot about Yoshiya Nobuko’s 1920 novel Two Virgins in the Attic. Chronicling the story of Akiko, a lonely young woman without purpose or direction, and her relationship with a rebellious girl named Tamaki, Two Virgins is incredibly notable not just for its queerness, but also for the way it participates in the love discourse of its time.

What does any of that have to do with Natsume or Tsumugi or Enstars as a whole? Girls’ lit has a lot of crossover and noticeable traces in Enstars, but that’s not a beast for today. What I want to explore is how Natsumugi’s journey during the War arc parallels Akiko and Tamaki’s story, and in turn, how Enstars echoes modern love discourse.

“Love can be a wonderful thing to experience.” That’s what Natsumugi makes me feel. They surrender themselves to it, letting themselves be scorched by flames, and from the ruins build themselves up again, as new people from the same material, within themselves a little bit of the other. They become intertwined. I want to try and break down that lofty feeling so I can share it with you.

i. what is ‘modern love discourse’?

Just like other abstract but incredibly proximate concepts, people have been trying to concretely define ‘love’ since time immemorial. Modern love discourse is one of those many attempts.

During the Meiji era, Japan opened up to the rest of the world after a long period of national isolation and began absorbing Western influence like crazy. One of the concepts they were eager to adapt was Christian love. This was in stark contrast to tradition Japanese conceptions of love, which were focused more on the physical and carnal. Spiritual in nature, that is, recontextualizing love as a pathway to not only physical pleasure but also spiritual/intellectual/internal fulfillment (self-realization, basically); and emphasizing purity, monogamy, and the institution of the family, Japan viewed this new idea as an asset in nation-building. Hence the heterosexual and nationalistic undertones in a lot of modern love discourse.

The opening quote to this essay is a good example of this. It’s from Kitamura Tokoku, a prominent writer during the Meiji era. (I encourage you to go back and give it another read or two before proceeding!) It’s a pretty concise and simple way to describe the majority outlook on love at the time: through experiencing love, we learn more about ourselves and find our place in the world. That place being... becoming a productive member of society by marrying and reproducing.

Love is generative. It is union, creation, and foundation. People live to pursue the goal of (heterosexual) love, in order to attain its rewards: wholeness of self, a purpose in the world. Without love, people are unable to live a full life.

Pretty rigid, isn’t it? It’s het and pretty focused on clear-cut romance. It assumes everyone wants to get married or have kids or has the capability to do either. Not too far from our society now, really; we still glorify (romantic—and heterosexual, I am thinking about comphet here) love as an important milestone in life. The dominant perception of love in modern Japan clearly privileged straight men. What about the women? And more pertinently, what about the queers?

There were certainly feminists who contributed to the discourse, but often they remained attached to the idea of marriage leading to fulfillment; in its engagement with queerness, one of the most prominent feminists of the time, Hiratsuka Raicho, actually disavowed same-sex relationships between women after getting married, despite previously having been in one herself and speaking fondly of it.

But queerness still sneakily found its way into the discourse through girls’ literature, due in no small part to the influence of lesbian writer of popular fiction, Yoshiya Nobuko.

ii. how does two virgins queer modern love discourse?

As a quick definition, girls’ literature or fiction here pertains to any written work meant for an audience of girls. While the term initially referred to novel-length narrative pieces, now it’s more or less an umbrella term. Modern girls’ literature was published in girls’ magazines, to be read by children and schoolgirls.

Written in an ornate, flowery prose that borrowed from classical Japanese literature, girls’ literature often told stories of unrequited love or passionate friendships between girls. These relationships were termed S-relationships or sister relationships; often, they manifested a sense of distance between the girls involved, usually through differences in age or status (think student/teacher). In fiction this distance took on other forms, such as unrequited feelings, noncommunication, and even emotional unavailability. 

As you might be thinking or already know, S-relationships seem pretty gay. If we want to be period-accurate (which means doing away with labels like gay or lesbian), then S-relationships are a form of same-sex relationships. They were not just a literary trope but an actual real-life phenomenon; both its practice and literary representation was allowed because it was seen as normative, a way to prepare young girls for heterosexual partnerships while protecting their purity because “there’s no way girls would have sex with each other! They’re pure schoolgirls!” In the cases girls did have sex, the relationship was seen as deviant and harmful. Same goes for the instances when two girls would attempt a lovers’ suicide because they couldn’t be together after graduation, or once they got married. 

A lot of girls’ fiction about S-relationships ended in tragedy as a result of those attitudes. Usually, one of the girls dies; sometimes one of them must leave, never to be seen again; other times there’s the responsibility of marriage and motherhood which is greater than the bond between two Best Friends And Something More (But Not Lovers, Not At All). It’s easy to see that and think “Oh no, the lesbians have been buried again!” and/or “Wow, so queerness here is a phase, huh.” In other words, girls’ lit seems like it bends to the will of the productive, heterosexual order of modern Japanese society.

But ‘a lot’ isn’t ‘all,’ and anyway, whether the tragedy of girls’ lit is positive or negative is an entirely different discussion from this one. Perhaps to your relief, Two Virgins in the Attic has a happy, liberatory ending for its queer couple: the titular virgins, Akiko and Tamaki.

Akiko is introduced as a girl who lacks a purpose in life. Struggling to pass in school and having distanced herself from her Christian faith, Akiko is evicted from her religious school’s dorm and forced to move to a new one. Her new room, the titular attic, is shaped unconventionally as a triangle, mirroring Akiko’s own feelings of detachment from people around her. She begins to see the attic as a safe space, the only place she can feel she truly belongs. This escapist fantasy is her sole happiness which allows her to bury her feelings of inadequacy and alienation, as well as distance herself from her social responsibilities as a young woman. However, beyond her beloved attic lies reality, which Akiko must eventually confront.

Despondent with her imminent loss of youth and lack of direction in life, Akiko meets Tamaki, her new roommate. A kindred rebellious spirit, but much more outspoken, Tamaki quite literally brings Akiko outside of her shell, taking her to meet new people, experiencing new things in the city, and teaching her about finding herself and her own path. Akiko develops romantic feelings toward Tamaki, which are returned, and the two form a bond that ultimately drives both girls out of the attic for good, and into the real world.

Throughout the novel, Yoshiya includes characters who have chosen to forsake same-sex love for heterosexual unions. One of these is the character Kinu, who appears towards the end of the novel. She is a beautiful older girl who was once involved with Tamaki. Unhappy and unfulfilled in marriage, and with nary a way out, she seeks out her old flame to ask if they could attempt a lover’s suicide. Kinu’s proposal poses not only a grave threat to Akiko and Tamaki’s relationship, but also represents the supposed destructive nature of same-sex unions; yet Yoshiya subverts this by clearly making Kinu’s misery in marriage the rationale for her extremity.

Heterosexual partnerships are painted as limiting and destructive for women, especially with regard to their own self-development and actualization. Conversely, through Akiko and Tamaki, same-sex love is seen as conducive for this development. 

While their bond brings many good things to Akiko, it also surfaces her insecurities when Kinu enters the picture. She grows incredibly jealous of Kinu, and these feelings drive a wedge between her and Tamaki; feeling abandoned and once again excluded from the world around her, Akiko lashes out, hitting friends who enter the attic and even destroying a doll that had been a gift from Kinu to Tamaki. This violence forces the dorm’s management to evict Akiko, giving her no choice but to enter the world she had so longed to hide from. While this may seem like a negative portrayal of same-sex love, similar to the strategy employed with Kinu, the narrative does not portray Akiko’s feelings for Tamaki as destructive. By framing it as jealousy and frustration at loneliness, same-sex love itself is not portrayed as the threat, but rather the inability to realize it. 

However, Tamaki comes to Akiko as she is packing, and proposes that they leave the dorm together. This pushes Akiko to realize what direction she wants to take in life—being with Tamaki—a realization made possible not only by Tamaki’s teaching, but their union as a whole. It is through their relationship that Akiko finally finds the purpose that had been evading her from the start.

In this way, same-sex love is portrayed as equally legitimate to heterosexual unions, if not more preferable altogether. Akiko and Tamaki’s relationship guides Akiko towards her own journey to selfhood and self-actualization; through her union with Tamaki, she is able to enter a state of ‘becoming.’

iii. what’s natsumugi got to do with any of this?

Two Virgins in the Attic, to me, is a story of love and how it reinvents the self. Our main girl Akiko starts out stressing over who she is and who she should be; she is caught at a crossroads of identity, unsure of what she herself wants, paralyzed as she clings to her youth and girlhood, which is ultimately unstable. It’s relative to age and societal perception; she can’t be a maiden forever, eventually she will become an old maid. The one thing she believes and wants herself to be, she doesn’t even have control over.

Akiko reminds me of Natsume. 

I think about this a lot, but you can read the war as Natsume’s bildungsroman. It’s his story of education—preconceptions of himself and the world around him are totally shattered, he is forced into an uncomfortable, unfamiliar position (that of powerlessness and a lack of control); these events force him to grow up, to leave the fantasies of his childhood with the new, more weathered outlook the experience has left him with. Of course, relationship troubles with your roommate are a different ball game from the psy-op that is the war, but Akiko and Natsume go through incredibly similar journeys. In the end, it’s through love (most strikingly for the Oddballs in Natsume’s case) that they realize what they truly want, and it’s also love which guides them to a new purpose. 

Tamaki is this mentor-character who teaches Akiko so much without us ever really getting into her head and understanding her views and side of the story, which makes it simultaneously extremely easy and difficult for me to put her as a parallel to Tsumugi.

Clearly, both of them are the catalysts for Natsume/Akiko’s change. Like, Natsume’s name gets brought up as an Eccentrics candidate because of Tsumugi. If not for that, maybe his first year would have been less traumatizing. Regardless of the reason behind Tsumugi bringing him up—did he recognize him from the get-go or no?—the fact remains that Tsumugi influenced the course of Natsume’s path during the war. Plus, even when he knew the Sakasaki Natsume of the rumor mills was his dear childhood friend Natsume-chan, he made no moves to remove him from the conflict. But on the flip side, Natsume is also the catalyst for Tsumugi’s change—extremely evident with “I really love that child,” and “You taught me pain... and everything else.”

Tsumugi’s struggles with minimizing his existence mirrors Akiko’s desperation to cling to her girlhood; in turn, we can say that Tsumugi’s comfort in diminishing himself is like Natsume’s stubborn belief in his own greatness and other childhood fantasies. These attitudes are both remnants of childhood that they refuse to let go. It is their comfort zone and what they know to be true and right in the world. If we keep with the coming-of-age theming, it’s their marker of immaturity. (I know it’s way more complicated for Tsumugi because of family and trauma and everything, but work with me!)

“Okay, sure, that makes enough sense. But the war had Natsumugi fighting against each other. Where’s the love in that? If anything, they only show any ‘love’ to the other in the aftermath,” you might be thinking.

Well, yeah! (Partly because during the war itself, they had different objects of affection; Eichi for Tsumugi, his nii-sans for Natsume. I’ve written something on Natsume’s love for the Oddballs already and there’s a lot to say for Eimugi, but I digress. I do want to point out that Natsume never really stopped caring about Tsumugi, even during the war. The intensity of his feelings of betrayal makes that pretty clear. On the flip side... there was definitely some tunnel vision and delusionality going on.)

It’s at the end when they do anything caring or ‘loving’ to the other. That’s because by then, they’re completely spent and alone. They’re spoils of war; lacking purpose, lacking direction, lacking motivation and ambition. By the end of the war, Tsumugi has never been more content with living a small and mediocre existence. Natsume’s first year of high school has been ruined, and both of them are alone like never before. They only have one another.

It’s a little funny that I talked all about growing up and maturing as a result of the war, to circle back to the idea that Natsume and Tsumugi are childhood friends. 

I think it’s interesting that they now have to learn how to navigate the pains of growing up together. Not because they were on opposing sides of the war, but because they’re reminders of who they used to be to each other; the ‘return to childhood’ between them is the beginning of a return to their dreams, what they wanted before they were invariably changed by that one academic year, and probably even before that. It’s a return to earnestness. 

When they were kids, they both just wanted to make people (their moms) happy. That was really it; they wanted to put smiles on their faces, wanted them to be proud of their kid. After the war, they don’t just return to that dream; they discover their own rationale for pursuing it, defined by who they are now, rather than forgetting either their innocence or jadedness. They rekindle a long-dimmed spark in each other.

It is through their connection that they are able to begin their journey towards a greater, more whole selfhood—towards a future as idols—on their own terms. It is through their union that they can reconstruct themselves.

(While I drew parallels between them and Akiko/Tamaki, who are romantically involved, I don’t even think that this reading of Natsumugi has to be romantic. Like an S-relationship, it’s definitely something more than simple friendship, but not necessarily romantic. It’s like a transcendental devotion, if that makes any sense.)

Rather than saying “love is generative/productive,” I think it’s more apt and economical to say that love is transformative. It’s exactly as the meme says: to be loved is to be changed. Let me offer a different image to ponder that thought, though. 

When I think of Natsumugi, I think of Prometheus. Because fire marks not an ending but a beginning; what can be destructive and violent is but an agent of change, a step forward into new frontiers, the key to doors of possibility that would otherwise never have occurred to someone. Fire creates agency in its ashes, free to scatter wherever it may please, the remnants untethered to the ground or to whatever it used to be. Its gift is a spit in the face of a god; now you've the tool to shape your fate. Now you can be anything or nothing at all.

What do we make of ash? Patience Worth gives quite a tender answer:

Who said that love was fire? I know that love is ash. It is the thing which remains When the fire is spent, The holy essence of experience.

There’s no better testament to that than Natsume and Tsumugi, together.

[fallen-stellar]

You know, I have a dream I want to tell you about

Omoi no Kakera by Switch Song Analysis

Lyric Translation from Mika Enstars (@/mikaenstars) and KYM2020 (taken from the Ensemble Stars Wiki)

Overview:

This song is about finding what you once were, through the slumbering fragments of things you once desired or dream of. Even if you can't find it, there are people who are more than willing to help you reconnect with them and repaint them for you, embracing who you once were.

Note: This analysis is made with me having a decent knowledge about metaphors and Switch itself. I have dived deeper a bit with the Japanese original of the song, however I have not included every detail that might be hiding! So if you can add more to this or see some misinterpretation, please free to discuss with me! I love discussing these things with people! Anyways, enjoy reading!

Omoi no Kakera is a bit of a hard one to crack and it's bound to be different for everyone, but I will share with you today what I see this song to be!

Since it's a Sora-center song, fittingly, the song centers on Sora and his relationship with Switch. But before that, we should know how the song gets told to us and some references that I will be saying throughout this analysis.

Omoi no Kakera translates to "fragments of imagination". The lyrics also include being in this illusion, particularly using the kanji "幻", which means vision, illusion, apparition, and even a short-lived dream. The song revolves around these things, so buckle up because this is quite a ride!

I am not kidding when this song is a tough nut to crack, it relies heavily on metaphors and references to how Sora perceives Switch and his relationship with the members, both of which I just have a decent knowledge of, but I have taken the challenge to scrap up what I can find. As I said in the note, please freely to criticize or discuss this song with me! I love discussing with people, especially these particular topics.

In order to understand my blabbering in the next few paragraphs, let us address one term that is constantly repeated in the song and what ties this whole song together:

Fragments of Imagination/Memories

This is basically the topic and even the title of the song and it's a phrase repeated in almost every stanza of this song. Not really the exact words, but precisely the words imagination and memories are constantly repeated throughout the song. These are mostly referred to as being found or being seen, however, it's mostly accompanied by being caught in a dream or being in someone's heart:

The sleeping fragments of memory will remain there in your heart The world that surrounds us is a swaying fragment of memory

These are also referred that could be touched:

When I touch it (the fragments of memory), it's like I can hear you, I wish you could tell me

Or be interacted with:

If you have trouble finding them, come and see me Connect them and paint a new layer

What I could get from this, basing the that this is possibly Sora's perspective, this might be literal memories from him or referring to memories, specifically with Switch, which will be much clearer as we go on. The ability to interact with these memories will be important later on as we go. With this in mind, let's finally tackle the song itself!

The song starts by introducing us that the persona of this song is in a dream, or at least it will bring us much more understanding since it's a Switch song, it has magical elements to it.

The world that surrounds us is a swaying fragment of memory When I touch it, it's like I can hear you, I wish you could tell me

Keep in mind that this is Sora's world, the memories are his. When he touches one of his memories, he feels like he can hear one of the members of Switch.

The next lines are actually heart-wrenching to dive deep about, even if you don't know the context behind it all:

A beautiful dream that you told me that day I've already forgotten about it now You're already yourself there's nothing I'm worried about

Let it be known that the first line, "A beautiful dream that you told me that day," is sung by both Natsume and Tsumugi, telling Sora that he has told them something before, to which he responds, "I've already forgotten about it now." Natsume then responds, "You're already yourself" or "You're your own person" in other translations. Let's take these one by one. Sora has told Natsume and Tsumugi about his dream before, and the two then tried to let him remember it, but Sora responded he doesn't remember it anymore. Natsume responded to him with "You're your own person (now)." However, this is immediately followed by "There's nothing to worry about."

This entails that Natsume (and Tsumugi by extension) have seen how much Sora has grown, to the point that he has already forgotten about a dream he had (we will come back to this in a second). Even though he has forgotten this dream, Sora became his own now, which Natsume is proud of, reassuring him that "there's nothing to worry about it."

Even if one day it may seem like nothing but a dream The sleeping fragments of memory will remain there in your heart If you have trouble finding them, come and see me Connect them and paint a new layer

The basic meaning of this stanza without any connection with any prior lines is even though everything feels like a dream (specifically a short-lived dream), the fragments or the traces of the memory will always be inside them. When in times they couldn't find themselves, they should seek guidance to connect them and bring them in a new light or make them better or change it (in reference to "painting a new layer").

Honestly, that doesn't boil anything down to any simpler terms, so in order for me to clearly state the meaning of this line, let's take another line from the song.

This world that we've chosen, the fragments of memory that come and go If we recognize each other Our days will become even more wonderful

This stanza of the song basically confirms that the fragments are from Sora's and Tsumugi and Natsume is in the fragments, especially with the line "If we recognize each other, our days will become even more wonderful." This is a reference to how Sora desires for Switch to be together (if you want a deeper dive on this King of Thieves scout story is a good way to start!) It's not really in terms of recognizing each other, but it's apparent with Sora that he hates it when Switch, especially Natsume and Tsumugi get into misunderstandings, especially with their "colors" change. With the previous line being "the fragments of memory that come and go", meaning every day in Sora's life, he wants Switch to be together and he wants these specific fragments of memories.

You know, I have a dream I want to tell you about. It continues out into the sky, far far away, like a line being drawn Never stop dreaming and never give up on anything...

When I said we will come back to the dream Sora "forgotten" about earlier, we will come back with him telling the first line, "You know, I have a dream I want to tell you about."

This is just my interpretation (everything about this post is my interpretation, so please feel free to say something that I missed or got wrong), but since this line is after the prior lines, it might be referring to how Natsume and Tsumugi have helped him to remember his dream or reconnect with them. This is also heavily backed up that this is from past to future order with these lyrics:

A continuation of the past is waiting in the future Today I will show you it

A continuation of the past dream for the future that they will do in the present.

Let's go back to the chorus of the song:

Even if one day it may seem like nothing but a dream The sleeping fragments of memory will remain there in your heart If you have trouble finding them, come and see me Connect them and paint a new layer

The chorus of the song could be explained in simple terms: If things don't seem true or things might be confusing, the desire will still always stay in your heart. And if you have lost yourself, you could find us, we will connect these desires and memories and make them even better.

With that in mind, putting ALL of what I have blabbered about in this whole analysis in Switch terms:

It is implied that Sora is lost, even from the start he told us that he could hear them from his memories, and telling "I want you to tell me" is basically a term asking for guidance. Sora has forgotten about the dream he once told to Natsume and Tsumugi, may it be Switch being recognized or finally bringing the magic of Switch to everyone (or anything). Natsume and Tsumugi then reassure him even though he has forgotten the dream, or even if everything feels confusing or like a dream, the sleeping fragments (or the hidden memories or desires that are waiting to be awakened), are always in his heart. They will help Sora to find them if he can't, connect them, and make them better for Sora. Once they did connect, Sora finally found himself or this dream that continues on, telling himself to never stop dreaming and never give up on anything. It's a continuation of what Sora has desired before through the present, where Natsume and Tsumugi are helping him, up to the future of himself and Switch.

Adding onto this, the dream that they might be saying here couldn't be the literal sense of Sora's dream, however, it fits as well, but what he really is or what he desires. It actually makes sense how Natsume told him, "You're your own person" meaning Sora has grown already. However, the thing that Sora lost was integral to him, even tho Natsume (and Tsumugi) were proud that he was growing up. Even the last line emphasizes how important this dream was or whatever Sora lost:

Embrace the fragments of your memories...

It's telling to hold on tight to these memories, as even when we grow older, these dreams are what shaped us throughout the years.

[straydogkins]

Shufflemancy reading for Natsume Sakasaki

General disclaimer: I hope these make sense to you, but you always know yourself best what is and isn't true to you and your canon. As per usual we rolled three times and asked for a general reading of your timeline.

As always: Please heed the TW's in this,

The Shufflemancy says...

Te・ki・na Music by Yoshiko Tsushima | Lyrics

This song is about making music, it starts with the singer wanting to make music that will make them popular (ie 'Sha la la... the usual music // Please, pay attention to me quickly!') however the singer realises that they don't need to make music that will please everyone and to make what they want (ie 'So I have to become more honest // I don't have to worry about trends anymore // I sing about the feelings that overwhelm me').

It also talks about preforming alone in your room and having an 'angel and demon' that tell the singer to stop what they're doing but the singer pursues and make their own music.

In the end its unclear to me if the singer has found the music that's theirs but they continue to push on in hopes of finding it.

My analysis: On a literal level it could easily indicate that you wanted to make music, struggling to create something that was 'you' and not something others want to hear.

On a metaphorical level it could mean that you felt like you had to fit in, and as a result maybe didn't know who you were so you went to find that out through exploration.

(We have pulled this song before, but felt it was important to keep in although we did copy and paste because yk why not- If you want another one lmk though)

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Hot, Hot! Sunny Love☆Summer! by Pastel*Palettes | Lyrics

This is an usual song in the sense that it's talking about an event rather than feelings if that makes sense? The song is about a group of girls going to the beach in summer and the fun they have together.

My analysis: This could be interpreted that you have positive memory or memories about going to a beach with friends or summer in general and doing summer activities.

This song is explicitly about Pastel*Palettes, so tbh I am not too sure what to make of it, maybe you were in Pastel*Palettes.... Idk anything is possible... /light hearted

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I'll Wait For You Here by Rin Hoshizora | Lyrics

This song is a character image song, but I don't know the character or franchise at all so I will be leaving a link to her here (you're looking for Minamo Kagurazaka, she's close to the bottom of the page).

The song is about someone who keeps seeing someone they care about leave, worrying that they'll never come back and (if they do) they won't remember them or be different.

My analysis: This could be about your relationship with a close friend, family member, lover, or anyone else you could be close to who repeatedly leaves (and although they return) you were afraid of them not being the same when they came back. Maybe they'd forget you, maybe they'd 'move on', maybe they wouldn't love you anymore. Either way you waited for them to come back every time.

The lyrics don't indicate that you followed them.

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Overall analysis: You loved music, you probably saw it as a saving grace and used it as an escape for what was happening (possibly people repeatedly leaving you).

I'm still trying to work out how summer makes sense as a general reading, but I hope it make sense to you!

[fallen-stellar]

Beat by beat, a little bit up!

A little bit UP!! by Switch Song Analysis

Lyric Translation from Mia (@/nenosuns on twt!)

Overview: A little bit UP!! is a song about cheering someone up "bit by bit" (beat by beat). To see the magic of Switch ~☆ click read more!

Note: This is an analysis purely from the English lyrics, if there are some easter eggs or much more profound meaning in the Japanese original of the song, I am sorry if I didn't notice it or know it. You could point it out! Discussion of this analysis is super welcomed! I love talking about a song's meaning/interpretation, especially since it's different for everyone!

To understand the song much clearer, let's dissect what story Switch is trying to tell us.

Your heart beats with a thump and you yawn lazily Oh hey, let’s not let today end on a boring note NO NO Just a moment

Our story starts with a persona that the Switch is talking to. The song takes a conversation-type between Switch themselves and the listener or whoever persona you interpret this song with, which is common in Switch songs. The first stanza tells us that this persona is tired of life. This will be clearer as we go.

Close your eyes And sketch it to your liking Just like you used to do when you were little

Switch tells the persona to sleep and enter a dream. With them saying to this persona it was like they used to do when they're little, it means that the persona might be probably older and experiencing (insert every adult/teen problem here).

Let’s be as greedy as you want and coordinate what you wanna do C’mon, just be unbelievably yourself 1000% In the dream, your best cute smile marks the place It’s okay even if you fail to find it ‘Cause for you For us It’ll be our little secret in the dream

This is where it is explained what Switch's relationship with said persona. As a group of magician, they are helping them to "sketch" the dream they want to them.

When you wake up tomorrow Even if you don’t remember it You’ll somehow feel different And no one will know the reason

After the said persona had dreamed, when they wake up, they will never remember anything that happened between them and the Switch in the dream. However, they will feel different.

So, now you know the story, let's dissect every line that I want to focus on and how it became a song about cheering up someone "bit by bit".

Your heart beats with a thump and you yawn lazily Oh hey, let’s not let today end on a boring note NO NO Just a moment What was crushed can be restored If you ever feel like giving up and turning off the daylight in your life

Based on the lines, we could say that the persona is crushed by the problems of life, tired of existing, and just overall depressed. This is further supported by the line:

I don’t care if there’s a difference between being tough and being smart What matters is that you don’t look like you’re having fun at all

They are at the deepest bottom of their life while Switch managed to get them to smile at the end, it was hard getting there as the persona was heavily sad, depressed even. It's further heart breaking especially they recounted the persona's youth, pushing the idea that Switch had been with them since they were a child, and they were much more different before:

Close your eyes And sketch it to your liking Just like you used to do when you were little

It's heavily supported by how the song has Lesson 1-3 in the lyrics and there are a lot of lines that say "Tomorrow we'll make it much more exciting/better", these are said lines:

Lesson 1 You can also use a bit of magic And when tomorrow comes Let’s make it even more exciting! Tomorrow we’ll give our Best Step! Lesson 2, we want to make you happy I’ve come to see you! Lesson 3 The end of a dream is not necessarily a bad thing And when tomorrow comes Let’s make it even more exciting!

There's a whole stanza about how it was getting already awkward for Switch since nothing seems to be working:

Ah, if we keep it this way It’ll become an awkward loop

This is where the comforting/cheering up someone bit-by-bit (or beat-by-beat, in this case, since it's a song) comes into place. We haven't talked about how Switch is trying to cheer them, which is vaguely explained in the chorus:

Let’s be as greedy as you want and coordinate what you wanna do C’mon, just be unbelievably yourself 1000% In the dream, your best cute smile marks the place It’s okay even if you fail to find it ‘Cause for you For us It’ll be our little secret in the dream If you thoroughly produce this in your own selfish way I’m 1000% sure you’ll be able to see a brand new light You got to be as greedy as you want and coordinate what you wanna do I 1000% can’t believe it, you’re just being yourself now If you thoroughly produced this in your own selfish way I’m 1000% sure you’ll feel your crushed heart being reborn

It's implied here that Switch is helping them to make a dream world they are comfortable with. To produce something that they shouldn't think of anyone else other than themselves, the things they want, the things that could make them happy. Switch is encouraging the persona to be themselves in the dream, even going as far as being 1000%, meaning more than they are showing in real life (we already went on how Switch knows them more because they have been the persona's "magicians" since childhood). Switch is letting the persona's be their playground of their wants and desires.

It is reminded repeatedly that it's the Switch's want and mission to make this persona happy:

In the name of all the magicians Lesson 2, we want to make you happy I’ve come to see you! This is the magic of meeting you in the dream

And they want the persona to rely on them when things get too complicated when life gets hard when things seem to be hopeless. They want this persona to come back in their dreams and have the happiness they want there. Because there, they will always find comfort and happiness that the persona is missing in their life.

Try saying it as if you were me The words will always reach your heart If you ever feel like giving up and turning off the daylight in your life

And as I said earlier, Switch never stops doing it. Over and over again, even though the persona is forgetting what the dream was, there's always progress to be seen every time this persona wakes up.

You can also use a bit of magic And when tomorrow comes Let’s make it even more exciting! When you wake up tomorrow Even if you don’t remember it You’ll somehow feel different And no one will know the reason The end of a dream is not necessarily a bad thing And when tomorrow comes Let’s make it even more exciting!

Because they will fix this persona's problems and take them into the dreams to make them happy, beat by beat, slowly but surely, even it takes a lot of tries, a lot of dreams, and a lot of waking up not remembering anything, they will feel a little bit UP!!

Beat by beat, a little bit up What was crushed can be restored Even if you don’t remember it Hey, now a little bit up!